Aubergine and Tomato Soup

Soups are my favourite dish, the comfort food which best inspires my creativity. I could live on soup and I cook one almost everyday.

Today I propose a summer soup, with both baked and sautéed vegetables. It is a combination of different textures, full of Mediterranean summer flavours. As a final touch, I add chickpeas and fresh basil.

Aubergine and Tomato Soup

1 aubergine, approx. 300 g

500 g ripe tomatoes

3 garlic cloves, halved

1 tablespoon oregano

1 large red onion, peeled and finely sliced
400 ml vegetable stock
1 bay leaf, torn

150 g cooked chickpeas

A generous handful of fresh basil leaves, torn

Sea salt and black pepper

Extra virgin oil

Serves 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 50 minutes

1. Preheat the oven to 170 C.
2. Line a baking tray with parchment.
3. Halve the aubergine, sprinkle with salt and oregano and drizzle with oil. Arrange it on the tray, cut side down, and with a sharp knife, make a few cuts on the skin.
4. Halve the tomatoes, place them on the same tray, sprinkle with oregano and salt and drizzle with oil. Add the garlic.
5. Bake the vegetables for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
6. In the meantime, in a pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil and sauté the onion with a pinch of salt on low heat for 10 minutes, covered. 
7. Skin the aubergine and roughly chop it along with the tomatoes. Stir the vegetables, garlic included,  into the onion and sauté for 1 minute. Pour in the stock, add the bay leaf and leave to a simmer for 15 minutes, lid on.
8. With a hand blender, blend the vegetables into a coarse puree. Combine the chickpeas and cook for another 5 minutes. Adjust the seasoning.
9. Add basil, drizzle with oil and leave to cool. 
10. Serve warm.